DOE releases 2026 Energy Employment Report showing job gains
The 2026 report details sector-wide hiring, higher median wages and rising apprenticeship enrollments for U.S. energy workers.
The U.S. Department of Energy issued the 2026 U.S. Energy and Employment Report (USEER) on Labor Day. The congressionally mandated report provides data at the national, state and county levels for five energy sectors: transmission, distribution and storage; electric power generation; fuels; energy efficiency; and motor vehicles and component parts.
According to the report, natural-gas transmission and distribution added 12,500 workers, a 5 % increase; nuclear power added 2,300 workers, a 4 % increase; coal power generation added 2,800 workers, a 5 % increase; and electric-power transmission and distribution added 17,900 workers, a 2 % increase.
The median salary for energy-sector employees reached $63,000, which the report notes is 24 % higher than the national median salary of $51,000.
Apprenticeship participation continued to rise, with 112,000 new registered apprentices in the construction industry in 2025, a 9 % increase over the 103,000 recorded in 2024.
Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said, "President Trump's Energy Dominance agenda is putting them first and delivering the affordable, reliable, and secure energy America needs." The USEER combines a survey of approximately 42,000 establishments with data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and other labor-market sources.
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